Experiences

The redevelopment of the Place des Festivals and its surroundings: From citizen diagnosis to participatory redevelopment

France

Paris 19th City Council

This experience was presented as candidate for the 9th IOPD Award for Best Practices in Citizen Participation in 2015.

Description

By deciding to involve
as early in the process the people through the Place des Fêtes neighborhood
Council, the 19th City Council wanted the inhabitants and users are fully
involved in their community and its future.

In Paris 19, local
democracy has taken a different magnitude with that possibility of also address
technical issues such as urban planning and roads. 18 years after the launch of
the first Councils of districts and the first referendums on various urban
projects: reducing urban avenue Jean Jaurès routes, urban renewal in Michelet
residence;

Place des Fêtes neighborhood Council goes one step further by
participating in the reflection from the beginning of the redevelopment project
and supporting the entire process until the citizen referendum and the
implementation of the urban project.

The redevelopment of the Place des Fêtes is regularly
discussed topic in recent years on the district council.

Indeed,
people want to think with the City Council of the 19th to the different uses
they make the place for best able to appropriate this space.

In 2012, the animated group of local Council decided
to conduct a diagnosis, the first step before a future redevelopment in order
to obtain the views of residents. A questionnaire was distributed by members of
the neighborhood Council were strongly mobilized. The return rate was
particularly satisfactory as the 5800
questionnaires distributed, there were about 1000 returns. The service road
and travel accompanied the neighborhood Council throughout this process, since
the construction of the questionnaire to analyzing the results.

A total of 937 responses have been analyzed (1/3 on
the internet - 2/3 by paper). 85% of those who responded to the questionnaire live
on the site itself or nearby.

A methodology for consultation is then conducted by
the Mayor of the 19th.

The
objectives of the consultation:

-
Identify the uses are the inhabitants of the Place des Fêtes and its
surroundings

-
Understanding the expectations and needs of residents and users

- To
enrich and clarify the program from comments from the consultation

The redevelopment schedule:

2012: Questionnaire prepared by the
neighborhood Council

- Over 900 responses collected

-
November 2012: Public meeting to present the results of the questionnaire

This
site is dedicated to the vote clearly indicates that it is to allow
users-citizens-residents to express their views on the Place des Fêtes.

Once the scenario
adopted, the redevelopment project will be always developed in a participatory
approach. Work will begin the end of 2016 for a period of two years.

At the
scale of a borough, the project has managed to combine the beginning to the end
of a process over 300 people actively and regularly and 5000 by a dedicated
communication and a major innovation projects planning and development.

At Paris19, classical consultation took the form of a
real co-production on two possible management options such as space formed by
the Agency Trait Clair.

Architects, planners, city departments have worked
with residents to produce scenarios that may be subject to citizens and
especially feasible vote.

Here we talk about participation, not just
consultation or information because of the five workshops have arisen proposals
from residents and users represented by the two scenarios that will be
submitted to a vote of 8 to 14 December 2014.